The PAWS Team is essentially made up of three groups, and without any of the three elements the PAWS Dog Shelter would grind to a halt. The three groups, in no particular order, are the Volunteers, the Public and the Executive Committee.

Volunteers

There is quite a variety in the ways that volunteers can undertake to assist the PAWS organisation. They can help at the dog shelter in a variety of roles or they could be working at the PAWS Charirty shop in Chlorakas. Volunteering at both of these establishments ultimately is to the benefit of the dogs at the shelter.The volunteers are acknowledged and recognised by the Executive Committee as the backbone of the day-to-day operations of the PAWS Shelter and Charity shop. Without the dedication, thoroughness and perseverance of the volunteers, PAWS could not survive.

The Public will always be one of the most important factors in the continuum of the CAPCA charity, and therefore the PAWS dog shelter. They make repeated monetary donations, donations of food, toys and other necessary items. They donate at our Charity shop, they shop at our Charity shop, they attend our organised events, they visit our shelter and they re-home our dogs! The list is almost endless.

However there is really a fourth unofficial branch to our organisation. It would probably not be too strong a statement to say that without the support and assistance from the German organisation called "Zypernhunde e V", PAWS would be struggling! They regulary assist in rehoming dogs elsewhere in Europe, contribute money, food, medecine, bedding and other necessities required in the day to day running of a dog shelter. Indeed at a recent event in Germany where former PAWS dogs and their new owners had a bit of a "doo", they raised over €4000 and two fully loaded pallets of supplies. Wunderbar!

Last but by no means least are the members of the "Executive Committee", shown on the right. They perform very necessary duties that are required to keep the Charity compliant with the laws in Cyprus and perform some daily tasks necessary to keep the wheels turning. Some of them also do their stint at volunteering as well!

At this moment in time, the total number of volunteers at the shelter out-number staff by more than twenty to one and the ratio at the shop is of a similar nature.When PAWS volunteers are asked why they give up their time so willingly, the answer is invariably ‘because of the dogs’. Surprisingly some volunteers have never in their life owned a dog, usually because of work or family commitments, but at the shelter everyone gets to sample the affection that dogs give, irrespective of whether the volunteers clean, feed, groom, walk or socialise with the dogs. Some people do the lot!The charity shop is of paramount importance in the financial soundness of the charity generating regular income to assist in the day to day operations at the shelter. The shop volunteers give up their time on a regular basis and work hard to make the shop attractive to customers. If you feel you could be a volunteer in any capacity and want more information please contact us on either of the following: paws-capca@hotmail.co.uk or Tel: 99 683 775